LAKE PLACID – The Village of Lake Placid recently unveiled a new hybrid-electric shuttle bus that will make commuting on public transportation quieter and cleaner. Financing for the bus was made possible through the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) Municipal Electric-Drive Vehicle Program, which provides financial assistance to New York municipal utilities to facilitate the replacement of less fuel-efficient vehicles in order to advance Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s clean energy goals.

“The electric and hybrid-electric vehicles made available through the New York Power Authority’s great program are a perfect fit for Lake Placid, and over the years we have taken advantage of the program to the point where our electric department fleet is almost entirely alternatively-fueled,” said Lake Placid Mayor Craig H. Randall. “Lake Placid prides itself on its natural beauty and access to great outdoor sports, so transportation options with low environmental impact that reduce our carbon footprint are right up our alley.”

The 14-passenger hybrid-electric shuttle bus, which was supplied by the NY Bus company in Chenango, is the first hybrid vehicle to be put into the village public transportation fleet. It will operate in rotation with Lake Placid’s free trolley service, traveling in a 10-mile continuous loop in and around Lake Placid making stops at hotels, supermarkets, area health service facilities and other points of interest.

NYPA’s Municipal Electric-Drive Vehicle Program enables municipal utilities in the state to purchase various electric and hybrid-electric vehicles for use in their municipal fleets, by offsetting the additional cost for a clean-fueled vehicle and providing zero-interest financing. The Lake Placid shuttle bus was purchased at a cost of $106,000, of which nearly half was paid for by the Power Authority and the remainder financed by NYPA with a three-year, interest-free loan. The Municipal Electric-Drive Vehicle Program is consistent with Governor Cuomo’s efforts to encourage the use of electric-drive vehicles in order to reduce air pollution, lower the cost of government and reduce dependence on imported oil.

Through the NYPA program, the Village of Lake Placid previously purchased a hybrid-electric bucket truck, three hybrid-electric pickup trucks, two hybrid-electric sport utility vehicles and two all-electric off-road utility vehicles.

NYPA’s Clean Transportation Program has placed more than 1,200 hybrid and all-electric vehicles in the fleets of numerous towns, villages and cities across New York State. These vehicles have traveled more than 11 million miles, cumulatively.

About NYPA:

The New York Power Authority uses no tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. ■ NYPA has been designated as the lead entity via Executive Order 88 by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to form a central management and implementation plan to carry out his Build Smart NY plan to reduce energy use by state facilities by 20 percent by 2020. ■ NYPA is the nation's largest state public power organization, through the operation of its 16 generating facilities in various parts of New York State, participation in a unique public/private partnership to contract for power from a clean generating plant in Queens, and its operation of more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. ■ More than 70 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. Its lower-cost power production and electricity purchases support hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the state.■ For more information, www.nypa.gov